Well flowing device



.. H0, 1939. J. E. PIPPENGER WELL FLOWING DEVI CE Filed April 4, 195aJM/Y/D/ M ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 10, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3Claims.

This invention relates to a well flowing device and has for an object toprovide a device adapted to gravitate to the bottom of the well and thenmove to the top of the well to clean or swab paraffin from the tubingand promote the gas pressure elevating the fluid more efiective thanhitherto possible.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which will beformed of a few strong simple and durable parts, which will beinexpensive to manufacture, and which will not easily get out of order.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists ofcertain novel details of construction and combinations of partshereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood thatvarious modifications may be resorted to within the scope of theappended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any ofthe advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an oil well and showing awell flowing device constructed in accordance with the invention atsubstantially the bottom of the well.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of an oil well showing thedevice near its upper limit of movement in the well.

Figure 3 is an enlarged plan view of the oil well flowing device.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3 andshowing the butterfly valve of the device closed.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4 andshowing the shell of the device and sleeve slidably mounted thereinbelow the oifset in the shell. Referring now to the drawing in whichlike characters of reference designate similar parts in the variousviews, l designates an oil well tubing there being a shoulder ll formednear the bottom of the well tubing. In carrying out the invention thewell flowing device comprises a shell I2 having a screw threadedinternal offset l3 into which a plurality of centrally perforatedadaptors l4 are adapted to be interchangeably received and held in placeby a bottom shoulder I on the offset against which the adaptor isclamped by a ring nut Hi. The purpose of these adaptors is to permitescape of a predetermined amount of fluid and. gas therethrough inaccordance with variations in well pressure and fluid and gas volume.

A sleeve 11 is slidably mounted within the shell below the offset l3 andpivotally mountedintermediate its ends in the sleeve, as shown at I8, isa butterfly valve I 9. A pin 29 is secured at its ends in the shell andpasses transversely across the sleeve through longitudinal guide slots2| in the sleeve. The sleeve is thus movable for a limited distancelongitudinally of the shell, that is, until its upper end abuts thebottom face of the offset l3 at one limit of its movement and until thepin 20 abuts the upper ends of the slots 2| in the sleeve at itsopposite limit of movement.

A link 22 is pivotally fastened at the upper end to the pin 20 and atthe lower end is pivotally connected to the butterfly valve as shown at23. Upward movement of the sleeve relatively to the shell closes thebutterfly valve through the instrumentality of the pin 22, as best shownin Figures 2 and 4. Downward movement of the sleeve relatively to theshell opens the butterfly valve through the instrumentality of the pin22, as best shown in Figure 1.

In operation the device is placed in a well tubing and gravitates to thebottom at which point incomplete atomization of fluid with gas is takingplace forming a higher fluid to gas ratio; than exists at the top of thetubing because of fluid forming drops or larger bodies large enough toovercome lift of gas and fall back to the bottom, or adhere to the sideof the tubing, where the gas has less lift because of line friction andruns down the side of the tubing to the bottom, making higher flowingpressures necessary.

As the device strikes the bottom, the sleeve impinges against theshoulder II in the tubing and moves upwardly relatively to the shell toclose the butterfly valve. Thereupon gas pressure lifts the assembledsleeve and shell to the top of the well. While the device is movingupward it will prevent suflicient gas pressure reduction and thus cleanthe tubing of fluid and prevent fluid bodies returning to the bottom andalso prevent parafiine adhering to the top.

When the device reaches the top of the well it closes the lower conduit24 and the gas and oil escapes through the device and through the upperconduit into the gas and oil pipe. Continuing its upper travel thedevice encloses the upper conduit 24 allows the oil and gas to escape tothe lower conduit or pipe 24 into the gas and oil pipe. Still continuingits upper travel the device moves into the line connection which is apipe at the top of the well forming a continuation of the tubing andsealed at the top. The device fills up pressure ahead of it in the lineconnection sufficient to stop upward travel of the device and open thebutterfly valve to allow the oil to gravitate to the bottom of the wellfor another cycle.

During the reciprocating movement of the 5 device all paraflln will bescraped from the tubing and thus the bore of the tubing will bemaintained of the original diameter and consequently reduction in gasand oil flow cannot possibly take place due to choking or decrease ofdiameter 01' the bore from accumulations of paraflln on the tubing.

The device is used in connection with conventional well tubing for bothflowing and pumping wells. In the parlance of oil men, tubing is knownas regular when theconnectlng ends of joints are the same diameter asthe body of the joints, or as upset when the connecting ends of thejoint are slightly larger than the body of the joint. The shell of thepresent invention is just long enough to act as a guide for the devicepast connecting ends of the joints of regular or upset tubing as well asto pass the trap connections at the top of the well.

From the above description it is thought that u the construction andoperation of the invention will be fully understood without furtherexplana- .tion.

What is claimed is: 1. A well flowing device comprising a shell pro- 80vided with an interior oflset portion, a perforated adaptor removablyengaged with said ofl'set, a sleeve slidabiy mounted within the shellbelow the offset, a butterfly valve pivotally mounted within the sleeve,a pin carried by the shell ex-r 85 tending diametrically across theshell and across the sleeve, there being guide slots in the sleevereceiving the pin and permitting movement of the sleeve to and away fromsaid offset portion of the shell, and a link pivotally connected to 40said pin and pivotally connected to the butterfly valve, upward movementof the sleeve actuating the link to close the butterfly valve anddownward movement of the sleeve relatively to the shell causing the linkto open the butterfly valve.

2. A well flowing device comprising a shell, an annular screw threadedoflset member within the shell below the peripheral center of the shell,a perforated adaptor threadedly engaged with the offset member, a locknut securing the adaptor in place, a sleeve slidably mounted within theshell below the oflset member, a butterfly valve pivotally mountedwithin the sleeve, a pin carried by the shell and extendingdiametrically across the shell and across the sleeve, the sleeve beingprovided with vertical guide slots through which the pin passes, and forpermitting the sleeve to move with relation to the shell and pin, and alink pivotally connected to the pin and pivotally connected to thebutterfly valve, upward movement oi. the sleeve with relation to theshell moving the link to close the valve and downward movement of thesleeve with relation to the shell moving the link to open the valve.

3. The combination with an oil well tubing having an internal shouldernear the bottom, or a well flowing device adapted to be elevated by gaspressure from said shoulder to the top of the well and then to gravitateto the bottom of the well for the next cycle comprising a shell havingan internal oflsetportion, means permitting predetermined fluid and gasflow through said oflset portion, a sleeve slidably mounted in the shelland adapted to move into contact with and away from said ofl'setportion, a butterfly valve in the sleeve, and means carried by the shelland connected to the butterfly valve for closing the butterfly valvewhen the sleeve impinges against said shoulder in the well tubing, saidmeans being adapted to open the valve when said shell recedes from saidoflset due to a build up of pressure in advance of the sleeve at theupper blind end of the tubing to stop upward movement of the device andpermit the device to gravitate to the bottom of the well.

JOHN E. PIPPENGER.

